Kahn's Greatest Mistake
by M.E.Pea
Summary: Connie is older and now married to Chane Wassonasong. She hopes that this will please her dad, but at the same time, she can't help but feel like a great disappointment. Rated Teen for vague sex...
1. Disappointment and Repayment

_**Disclaimer:**__I do not own King of the Hill...I hope that was obvious_

_**Important: **__The division lines separate the past and the present. The beginning starts with the "present" and after the first division line, it's the past, and so on _

Kahn's Greatest Mistake

Connie couldn't sleep. How could she? Chane had been gone for three days on a business trip and hadn't called once. She didn't like being in their large home by herself. She didn't really like anything that had to do with her marriage to Chane, but it made her parents, especially her dad, happy. They needed to be happy. Remembering how much she had disappointed her parents in the past, she knew that staying with Chane was the only option.

* * *

><p>"Kahn Juniorrr!" Kahn walked swiftly into the family kitchen, playfully calling out for his daughter while waving an envelope high above his head. Connie and Minh looked up at the frantic Kahn, eager to know why he was so determined to interrupt their Laotian lesson. Connie opened her mouth to speak, but her dad quickly cut her off by shoving the envelope into her hands. "It's from Harvard!" he exclaimed, watching excitedly as his daughter looked down at the envelope in her hands. "It's an acceptance letter!" Connie studied the envelope.<p>

"_It's thin..." _she thought to herself. Connie's palms began to sweat. Everyone knew that thin envelopes were a bad sign. She looked up at her parents. They were both smiling at her, waiting impatiently to see the letter. Connie closed her eyes and tore open the envelope, quickly removed the letter, and stared reading. _We regret to inform you_- that's all she needed to read. Connie felt like screaming. Sure, she'd been accepted to Yale, Stanford, and other schools, but Harvard was her first choice, and it was where her parents wanted her to go there so badly. She wasn't sure what had kept her from being accepted. Maybe it was because she hadn't joined any clubs or played any sports. Or maybe it was because she was Asian. She remembered how she couldn't get into an educational program in the past for that very reason. She was "too privileged" they said. Connie's lamenting didn't last long. Her parents were soon begging for the results.

"Well Kahn Junior," said Minh, "aren't you excited to be going?"

"Um-," Connie tried to tell her parents the bad news gently, but Kahn snatched up the letter before she could speak.

"She's speechless!" Kahn explained to his wife while reading the letter. "They probably gave her a full scholarship and-" Kahn's eyes widened momentarily when he realized the truth. "Oh no," he groaned. He dropped the letter on the table in front of Minh and lowered himself into the closest chair he could find.

Minh looked confusedly at her family. "What's wrong?" she asked. "No scholarship?" Connie fixed her eyes on the kitchen table, waiting for her mom to react to the bad news. "Kahn Junior!" she cried. "You didn't get in! How could this have happened?"

"I-I don't know," Connie stammered. She wanted to share her theories with her parents, but she knew they'd only see them as excuses.

"I'll tell you how," Kahn explained. "It's laziness! Your SAT scores were five points lower than what we expected them to be." Connie looked to her mom for support, but Minh just shook her head disapprovingly.

"I'm sorry." Connie got up from the table and headed for her room.

"Don't think we won't talk about this later Kahn Junior!" Kahn yelled after his daughter.

But Connie didn't want to talk about it- at all. She'd worked hard, and she knew the world wasn't going to end just because she didn't get into her first choice for college. Connie needed to relax. She needed to visit Bobby. They hadn't talked in a pretty long time, but this was a dire situation. Taking the same detour from her room to Bobby's window, Connie scrambled to "freedom." She tapped lightly on Bobby's window, hoping that he was home. Slowly, the window opened. Like a nervous groundhog, Bobby poked his head out of his room window and looked to see who had knocked on the window.

"Connie?" he said, surprised. "What are you doing here? We haven't talked in over six months!"

"Hey Bobby," Connie said apologetically. "Sorry to bother you. It's just that my parents are being jerks right now, and I really need someone to talk to.

"Oh, okay. Come on in." Bobby retreated into his room to open the window wide enough for Connie to enter comfortably. Connie hoisted herself into the room. She took a look around. She and Bobby hadn't talked for a pretty long time, but it had been even longer since she'd been in his room. It was basically the same except that Bobby's old game system had been replaced with an Xbox 360 and where his old TV had been sat a flatscreen. Bobby must have saved up some money from his job because there was no way Mr. Hill bought any of it. He still had the same wallpaper, but it was a bit faded. Bobby stood at the center of the room, examining Connie as if he had never met her before.

Bobby had grown taller than Connie sometime around their freshman year of high school, and with his growth came a new burst of confidence. He started to make more friends, and actually started dating. Connie was happy for him, but she was soon isolated by both Bobby and Joseph as they explored high school life, and before she knew it, they had been reduced to having quick conversations while passing each other in the hall. Connie found it strange that she was so distant from Bobby and Joseph, especially since the two boys were still close, and because she lived right next door to Bobby. Connie didn't really care that much for Joseph anymore. Once he found out that Nancy had been lying to him about Dale being his father, he started acting out and never really got it together. It could've been avoided too, had it not been for the fact that Nancy had had too much to drink that night. But that was years ago, and it wasn't really her business anyway.

"So, what's happening with you and your parents?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing too big I guess," Connie explained. "I just didn't get into Harvard, and my parents are taking it pretty badly."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Bobby apologized.

"Don't be," Connie assured him. "There are plenty of other schools that have accepted me, so I don't really care." Connie shuffled her feet uncomfortably at the awkward silence that surrounded she and Bobby. "So...how's your dad?"

"He's fine, I guess. I've been busy with work and I guess with school too, so we haven't had much time to talk."

"Oh. Well, did you apply to any colleges?"

"A few," Bobby answered, "but they're all in-state. I got accepted into A&M and Texas, but I think school will interfere with my comedy. I've already got a spot booked for tonight at the club- it's gonna be great!" There he went again. Connie thought Bobby's dream of becoming a comic was amusing for a while, but now it just seemed foolish.

"Great," Connie said

"You can come by if you want," Bobby invited. "My mom's coming, but my dad said that listening to my jokes gives him headaches, so I could use another supporting audience member."

"O-oh...um-" Connie looked out her window to think momentarily. She saw Kahn and Minh looking around her room, searching. Connie was pretty sure she heard her dad yelling something about drugs. Were they really blaming her rejection on drugs? Connie scowled. She had had enough of her parents for a while. "Yes, I'd love to go, Bobby. What time will it be?"

A smile slowly spread across Bobby's face. "Great! It's at seven at that new place that opened up. I'm glad I asked you first. I'm pretty sure Joseph's too busy..." Bobby gazed out the window sadly. "Y'know, he probably wouldn't have reacted so badly if Mr. Gribble hadn't freaked out like that.

"Don't worry about it Bobby," Connie reassured her friend. "Just focus on your routine." Connie peeked into her window again. Her parents had left her room. "I have to go Bobby, but I'll see you tonight!"

"I can pick you up if you want...so you don't have to walk there in case your parents say no." Bobby knew that Connie's parents could be overbearing, and he was happy to keep Connie's stress levels from rising any way he could.

Connie smiled. "Thanks Bobby, that's really nice of you."

* * *

><p>Connie decided to call Chane. He always told her not to bother him when he was away on business, but she was feeling so lonely that even Chane's voice would be comforting to her. She quickly dialed his number and waited anxiously for her husband to answer the phone.<p>

"Hello?" a groggy voice answered from the other end of the line.

"Chane? It's Connie..."

"Connie?" Chane asked as if their on-phone interaction was completely unbelievable. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Yes, and I'm sorry. It's just that I can't sleep, and-"

"And so you decided to interrupt my sleep so that you could have someone to talk to?" Chane accused sharply. "Connie, I have a meeting in-" Chane paused momentarily, probably to check the time. "Damn it, Connie, in three hours, and I just got to sleep about an hour ago!"

"Look Chane, I didn't mean to disrupt you," Connie snapped. "I just had this crazy idea that you'd be worried about my wellbeing!" If there was one thing that Connie wasn't, it was submissive. She wasn't going to allow Chane to yell at her like that.

There was a long pause as Connie waited for her husband to respond. "Connie, listen. I've had a stressful day, and I would just like to get some sleep. Please, don't call me while I'm on trips anymore."

"Okay," Connie agreed weakly, exasperated by Chane's inability to comfort her and his reinforcing of their boundaries.

"Love you," Chane added swiftly and flatly before hanging up the phone. Connie wasn't sure if Chane _did_ love her, but it made her happy that he had at least remembered to say it.

* * *

><p>"Smile, Kahn Junior!" Connie smiled sweetly as Minh took her picture. "This is so exciting! Chane!" Minh called over Connie's prom date for yet another picture. Chane rolled his eyes before turning around and posing beside his date. Kahn was experiencing pure ecstasy as he watched Chane lightly wrap his arms around his daughter's waist.<p>

"Chane Wassonasong is taking _my daughter_ to prom!" he kept whispering to Minh. "So Chane," he said, getting the young man's attention, "are your parents doing anything special for tonight? Maybe they want to have dinner with the parents of their son's prom date?" Kahn asked a little too eagerly. Chane just shrugged.

"Probably not."

Connie watched as her dad's smile faded momentarily. Why was Chane such a jerk? The only reason she was going with him to prom was because she thought it would make it up to her parents for getting rejected from Harvard and it seemed to be working. She hadn't seen her parents this happy in a long time.

As soon as Chane and Connie reached the prom, Connie was left alone. Chane went to greet his friends as soon as he came through the door, and it didn't seem like he was coming back. Connie had really dressed up for the prom. Her hair had been curled and placed in a loose bun, allowing the rest of her hair to flow freely down her shoulders. She wore a strapless powder-blue dress that went down to her ankles, but it was only a little "puffy," with a few ruffles underneath. Usually, Connie didn't wear makeup-she thought of it as a distraction- but that night, she had worn just a bit of lipstick and some eye shadow. She had dressed up for nothing. Chane was gone, and most of Connie's friends hadn't planned on going to prom. She decided to retreat to the punch bowel. She stood, leaning on the wall, scanning the room for the missing Chane, but saw him nowhere.

"Connie?" Bobby was staring down at Connie, wide-eyed. "You came to the prom? Alone?"

"N-no," Connie corrected. "I came with Chane, but I can't seem to find him..." Connie made sure to keep from making eye contact with Bobby in an attempt to hide her embarrassment, but her cheeks probably gave it away.

"Oh." Bobby joined Connie on the wall. "Do you want me to help you look for him?" Connie shook her head. "Well then, do you want to dance?" Connie thought for a moment. If Chane saw she and Bobby dancing together, he would either not care, or he'd get upset and tell Connie's parents what happened out of spite. Even if he paid no attention to her at all that night, Connie knew he still saw her as his exclusive prom date, and no other guy was supposed to be near her.

"Sure."

Connie and Bobby spent most of the night together. Fifteen minutes before the prom was over, Chane came looking for Connie, who told Bobby to get out of sight before Chane caught them dancing together.

"Come on Connie," Chane called. He grabbed Connie by the hand and started to lead her through the crowd.

"Chane, wait!" Connie shouted over the music. "Don't you want to dance with me at least once? And they still haven't crowned the king and queen yet- don't you want to see the winners?

"No," Chane stated bluntly. "I wanna spend time with you Connie, away from all this loud music." Connie smiled. Maybe Chane wasn't so bad after all. She left with him, just as Bobby was about to walk up to her and ask her to dance again.

Connie and Chane sat in Chane's car. Chane had been driving around Arlen, giving her a "grand tour" of many places she had already seen before. After a while, Chane pulled up to his house.

"Are you expecting me to walk home?" Connie asked.

"Of course not!" Chane replied, feigning a shocked expression. "My parents are gone for the night, so we have house to ourselves." Chane leaned in abruptly and started kissing Connie feverishly.

"Chane!" Connie yelled. She pushed him away from her and punched him as hard as she could on the arm.

"What's your problem? I took you to prom like you asked, and now you won't put out? What kind of girl are you?"

"Chane, take me home- right _now_!"

"I have a better idea," Chane suggested. "You can walk home, and I'll find some other girl's family to come over for dinner next week.

Damn. Chane knew how much Connie's parents worshipped the Wassonasongs, and he was using it against her.

"_Seriously_ Chane? You want me to sleep with you so that our parents will have dinner together?" Connie hesitated for a moment. "I'm a virgin..."

"So what? You're eighteen; it's time to grow up. But I guess if I'm going to take it from you, that means we'll have to start dating," Chane added. "My parents aren't going to let just any girl come over."

"But-" Connie was stuck. Her parents would never be upset with her again if they found out she was actually dating Chane Wassonasong. "Fine."


	2. All Grown Up

_More updates! Let me know if you like it :P _

Connie slowly lifted herself out of her bed. Her back had been killing her all day, and since no one was home with her, she didn't have anyone to help her around the house. Since she and Chane had moved to Dallas four months ago, she had no family or friends in the area to help her around the house when her back was acting up when Chane wasn't home, which was occurring more and more often. She made herself a sandwich, sat herself down on the living room couch, and turned on the news. She quietly watched the news. For a moment, she looked down at the coffee table and spied her wedding portrait. She slammed the portrait down on the table and went back to watching her program.

* * *

><p>Finally, Connie was going to meet up with Bobby again. She and some of her friends were taking a road trip to D.C. for Spring Break, and Bobby's comedy tour was coming to town. He'd sent her tickets in the mail for her and her friends and some backstage passes so they could catch up after the show. Connie was surprised by how popular he had become in such a short amount of time. Connie was finishing her last year of graduate school, and Bobby, who had dropped out of college after the first month to pursue his comedy career, was already selling about a thousand tickets per show. Connie couldn't say she was jealous of Bobby's success, but she<em> was<em> envious of how Bobby could have such success without working so hard.

Bobby's show was pretty good. It wasn't Connie's type of humor, but it had her laughing pretty hard at a few points. Connie's friends decided they would rather go out to eat than go backstage to meet Bobby. Connie stayed behind and told them she would call them when she wanted to get picked up. Once the crowd had dispersed, Connie made her way backstage. Bobby was sitting on a couch with a few other people. As soon as he saw Connie, he stood up to greet her.

"Connie!" He exclaimed, "Glad to see you made it!" He leaned in for a hug, but quickly backed up, remembering that he and Connie weren't as familiar as they had once been. Since graduation, they'd only contacted each other twice and swapped information. "These are a few of my friends." Bobby gestured towards the couch, introducing the people he had been sitting with. They Waved and smiled at Connie, and she waved back awkwardly. "So, how did you enjoy the show?"

"The show?" Connie had forgotten all about it. It was strange seeing Bobby again after so long, and she was caught up in how much he had changed. He'd grown a bit taller, and thinned out somewhat. "Yeah, it was great! My favorite part was the joke about the toothpaste."

"Yeah, that one's a killer," Bobby said, laughing. There was a slight lull in the conversation. "So, do you wanna get dinner or something?"

Connie was stunned. She could tell by the way Bobby was wiggling his eyebrows, he was looking for a date. "Bobby...what about your mom? Didn't she come to see you? Did you give her a backstage pass too?"

Bobby looked sadly at the floor. "She couldn't make it. My dad didn't want her coming up here alone, but he didn't want come all the way up here, so..." Bobby quickly recovered and smiled up at Connie. "Dinner?"

"...Bobby, I'm still dating Chane. How would it look if we're having dinner together?"

"How's he going to find out?" Bobby had a point.

"Alright, I'll go as long as we're not getting fast food."

"Connie, Connie, Connie," Bobby teased. "Things are different now. Tonight, you're having dinner with a high-roller. We can go wherever you want!" Bobby and Connie left, quickly saying goodbye to Bobby's friends on the couch and leaving.

Dinner was nice. Bobby and Connie mostly talked about Arlen during their meal. Connie hadn't visited her parents in almost two years. Bobby visited his parents whenever he wasn't on tour or busy writing new material, so usually once or twice a year. Connie's parents came to visit her a few times, but the flights became too expensive. Bobby moved around too much, so his parents never visited him. Neither of them had talked to Joseph. Last time Bobby had talked to him, he was playing football for University of Texas, but he dropped out of school after a year and hadn't been contacted by either of them since.

"How's Mr. Gribble doing?" Connie asked.

"He's still sick, but he's not dying," Bobby informed her. "He really wants Joseph to visit him and Nancy, but they haven't talked in years. I don't understand," Bobby was beginning to get angry. "I don't understand how he could just abandon his dad like that. John Redcorn never really did anything for Joseph, and for the longest time Joseph thought his _real_ father was an alien, so why's it such a big deal?"

"Because he's _older_ Bobby. He knows there were never any aliens, and that his mom lied to him, and maybe he just can't be around Mr. Gribble anymore."

"It doesn't matter. Joseph and Mr. Gribble were really close, closer than me and my dad! I don't know why Joseph would give up something like that. Besides, John Redcorn is off with some other woman and has three other kids and he's never taken the time to talk to Joseph- even after we all found out the truth! Joseph's being selfish." Bobby looked away for a moment, then back at Connie, and smiled. "But anyway, did you want to do anything else tonight?"

Connie was a bit stunned by Bobby's passion about father-son relationships. For the most part, she'd never seen Bobby act so serious. "Um, I think this was enough, thanks."

"Are you sure? We could catch a movie or something. Maybe look at the Lincoln Memorial or something?" Bobby enticed Connie.

"I really should get home. My friends are probably worried about me."

"Just call them and let them know you'll be out late."

Why not? Chane never liked to do anything, and nothing exciting was going on at the hotel Connie and her friends were staying at. Maybe some drinking, but nothing else. She agreed, and she and Bobby went off into the city.

"I wish my dad would've come." Bobby stated, staring up at the Lincoln Memorial. "It's perfect for him. There are so many ways to be patriotic up here."

"Yeah," Connie agreed. "But let's face it Bobby, this isn't Texas. I think your dad would hate living in D.C. He didn't even like his visit to Houston. Besides, people around here aren't as friendly as down south."

"I guess you're right," Bobby sighed. "But if would be nice if my parents could come visit me every once in a while."

"Why don't you go down there and visit them?" Connie asked. "I mean, after you're done with your shows?"

"It's hard work Connie," Bobby admitted. He kept his eyes fixed on the Lincoln statue as it stared blankly back at him. "When I'm not up there on stage, I have to go to parties for hours to promote myself to people I don't like, I have to make deals so that I can get my tours booked, I have to go to interviews on TV shows, and then, after all that's done, I have to come up with a whole new round of jokes before people get tired of me. I just don't have time. Maybe I would if I was more famous, but the truth is that I'm still starting out. It took me years to get where I am now, and I had to sacrifice time with my parents and other people to do it." Bobby turned to face Connie. "That's why I wanted so badly for you to stay out with me tonight. I don't know the next time I'll get a break, so I just wanted to catch up before I had to go back to...all that."

"You don't have to do it you know," Connie told Bobby. "Why don't you just get a less stressful job? You could go back to college, or..."

"I don't _want_ a less stressful job, Connie," Bobby said firmly. I'm doing what I love. It's hard at times, but it'll pay off one day, hopefully."

Connie never realized how determined Bobby was to follow his dream, or how hard it actually was to follow it.

"So anyway, about Chane," Bobby continued, "why are you still with him? I was surprised that you guys lasted after graduation."

"My parents like him."

"What about _you_ Connie? Do you like him?"

"He's nice. Sometimes he takes me to the movies or to dinner or something."

"Do you love him?"

"Bobby! That's not an appropriate question to ask!" Connie exclaimed.

"I'm just saying you deserve better. Chane was a jerk when we were kids, and he's probably not any better now."

"There's no reason to worry Bobby. I'm fine." Connie took out her phone and looked at the time. "Oh my- Bobby, it's 2:30! I need to get back to the hotel _now_!"

"Alright, let's go," Bobby said, laughing slightly. Connie rushed down the stairs of the memorial. Bobby sadly watched after her as she travelled farther away from him.

* * *

><p>Connie tried to lift herself off of the couch. She fell back down with a thud and let out a frustrated groan. She looked down at her swollen torso as the theme song for Three's Company played on the TV. She was due in a few weeks and Chane wasn't around to help her up, or to bend over when she dropped something on the ground, or to massage her aching back when it hurt-which was often. To make matters worse, she wasn't sure how often her baby's father would be around. He was always working.<p>

* * *

><p>"Bobby!" Connie yelled. She stared at the alarm clock on her nightstand in horror as she realized that she had overslept. "Bobby, wake up!" Bobby slowly rolled over in bed and sat up. He stared sleepily at Connie, who was already running into her bathroom to take a shower. "Bobby, you <em>need<em> to get out of here! Chane's going to be over in- fifteen minutes, and you can't be here when he comes!"

Connie reentered her bedroom. "You looking for something?" Bobby asked, rising from the bed.

"My engagement ring! Bobby, where's my engagement ring?"

"I'm sure it's somewhere around here. Do you want me to help you look for it?"

"_No_ Bobby, get _out_ of here!" Connie pushed Bobby out of her bedroom and shooed him out of her front door. She didn't even realize she was naked until Bobby halted and blocked the door for her. She blushed deeply when she realized what he was doing.

"Next time, put on a robe or something Connie." Bobby gave Connie a cocky wink. "And we should do this again."

"Bobby!" Connie shouted. She lightly slapped him on the side of the head and slammed the door in his face. As she walked back to her bathroom, something pierced her foot. More annoyed than hurt, she looked down and spied- the ring! Relieved, she picked it up, headed to her bedroom, made up her bed, and took a quick shower before Chane arrived.


	3. Bundle of Joy

Connie sat up abruptly when she heard a knock on her window. She looked to the right and screamed when she saw a man in the window, staring straight at her.

"Connie, it's just me!" Bobby called through the window. Connie stopped screaming and looked closer at the man and saw that it was in fact, Bobby.

"Bobby!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" Sometimes when Connie's better judgment left her, she called Bobby if Chane was away for work so they could "spend time together." Chane refused to have sex with Connie when she was pregnant, but Bobby didn't mind, even though it freaked them both out in the beginning. Sure, Connie was upset that she had kept herself from remaining "true" to Chane, but Bobby was great for relieving stress. She walked over to the window and opened it, then stood back as she let Bobby enter the living room.

"I wanted to see if you had your baby."

"So you snuck over to my house? That's really creepy, Bobby."

"I also figured Chane would be out, so why not drop by?" Bobby paused. "He's not here, right?"

"Yeah, he's on another business trip."

"Good," Bobby sighed. He looked down at Connie's bulging stomach that had just bumped into his side. Amazed, he placed his hand gingerly on it. "Wow," he breathed. "So, are you sure about this?"

"Yes Bobby, I'm pretty sure it's yours."

"How sure?"

"Completely, actually. I had a prenatal paternity test done, and it said you were the father. Are you happy now?" Connie was beginning to feel the stress creeping up on her again.

"Sorry for bringing it up again," Bobby apologized. He was excited about the baby, but he was just as stressed out as she was. He felt guilty for getting Connie pregnant and he was also very anxious about the baby. How was he supposed to connect to this baby? He didn't want it to live a lie. Every time he thought about the baby he would be reminded of Joseph, which only made him cringe. He didn't want something like that to happen to his kid. He wanted stability. To make matters worse, Chane was no Dale Gribble. Sure, the baby wouldn't be dark or anything, but Bobby knew that it was still easy to tell if a baby was only half Asian. If Chane found out would he abandon Connie and the baby? And if he did, that didn't mean that Connie would come to Bobby for support. Bobby was well aware of the fact that Connie was using him as an escape from her married life. She hadn't had feelings for him since middle school, and even if she did, she never expressed them. Sometimes it hurt to know, but at least she was willing to talk to him in a casual manner instead of pushing him out of windows when they were finished with their business. Bobby was afraid that once the baby was born, he would be completely shut out of Connie and the baby's life.

"I need a smoke," Bobby muttered. He shuffled over to the living room window and lit his cigarette. "My dad would kill me if he found out I started smoking again."

"My dad would kill _himself_ if he knew this baby isn't Chane's. Connie sat herself back on the couch and sighed heavily. "Anyway, did you want to watch TMZ or something? I think they're talking about you tonight."

* * *

><p>Connie held her breath. She was getting lightheaded, but she refused to open her mouth. Maybe it was for the better. Maybe she would die. That way, she wouldn't have to deal with the stress. She sat on the edge of her bathtub, looking down at her phone, waiting for the timer to hit all zeros. Before she knew it, the alarm on her timer sounded. Connie finally allowed herself to inhale. She rose hesitantly to her feet and walked towards the bathroom counter. She only had to look for a few seconds. "It's positive," she breathed. She wanted to be happy. She really did want to, but at that moment, all she could feel was fear. She had slept with Chane a week after she had slept with Bobby. How could she have been so stupid, so reckless? She didn't have time to think about the mistakes she had made. She had to tell Chane she was pregnant before she was too far along; it would seem suspicious. Connie threw away her pregnancy test, washed her hands, and then walked over to Chane's home office.<p>

"Chane?" She said quietly. He was bent over a pile of papers.

"What is it Connie?" Chane asked, not harshly, but uninterested.

"I'm pregnant." Connie knew that Chane would lose interest if she didn't get to the point quickly. She expected Chane to smile, but his face stiffened. Connie had been smiling before, but by now her face was almost as stern as Chane's.

"You're _pregnant_?" Chane threw down the pen he had been holding. "Connie, I _just_ got this promotion. We can't afford a baby right now!"

Connie was already getting defensive. "Well, it was your idea to move us to this expensive neighborhood _and_ it was your idea to put us in a two-story when we're the only ones living here, Chane!" Connie felt so vindictive. She was basically yelling at Chane for not being excited about a child that may or may not have been his. But if it was, she needed to know that he would be looking forward to having the baby.

"I moved us into this neighborhood to let my coworkers know I'm able to work hard enough to afford places like this, _Connie_. And I bought a two-story for the family that we were going to have _eventually_, not now!"

"Can't you just let me get a job?" Connie wailed. "I didn't suffer through school so that I could sit around at home all day."

"We can talk about this later," Chane grumbled. "I have work to do...for two!" Connie threw her hands in the air and retreated to her bedroom.

"Kahn Junior, I'm so proud!" Khan exclaimed, ogling at his daughter's invisible pregnant belly. Connie was only two months along, so there was nothing to see. "Another Souphanousinphone," Kahn stopped mid-sentence and glanced back Ted Wassonasong, who had raised a single eyebrow. "er, Wassonasong to carry on- _our_ legacy!" Connie couldn't help but feel bad. If she had been born a boy, her father wouldn't have to worry about his last name being overshadowed. "I hope it's a boy!" Kahn added eagerly. The Wassonasongs nodded in agreement.

"Yes, a boy would be just super!" Ted agreed. "Maybe two, if my son works hard enough to afford two." Connie had heard Chane grumbling in his office about how he couldn't wait until he received his inheritance. Even though the Wassonasongs were more privileged than the Souphanousinphones, they encouraged Chane to live independent of their money, which was disheartening to Kahn and Minh.

Connie excused herself from her seat in the living room and walked into the kitchen to make everyone some coffee. She paused in front of the sink for a moment, staring deep into the drain. Looking into the increasingly darkening hole just reminded Connie of her future. She couldn't help but let her eyes well up as she reached for the coffee brewer.

"Kahn Junior!" Minh joined her daughter in the kitchen. "Don't forget, Ted Wassonasong likes his coffee black- what's wrong?"

Connie quickly wiped her eyes, and then gave her mom a small smile. "Hormones," she lied.

"Oh," Minh said, smiling. "I know I was a wreck when I was pregnant with you! Don't worry, pregnancy is not that hard Kahn Junior."

"Mom, I'm an adult now- a grown _woman_. Do you think you and dad could call me Connie?"

Minh eyed her daughter suspiciously. "You're pregnant. The last thing you need is change. This pregnancy won't be any easier if you're going to act out."

"I'm not trying to act out mom," Connie stated, pleading for her mom to understand. "I just want _respect_. You and dad worked hard for me to get a good education, but Chane won't even let me get a job! I have so much talent and it's being wasted!"

"...Kahn Junior," Connie squirmed. Her mom still refused to call her Connie. Minh placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "You married a successful man, you're part of a well-known family, and you're about to bring a beautiful child into the world. This is all you need."

"You're right mom," Connie agreed, secretly wishing she could jump out of her skin and run away. "This is all I need. How does Mrs. Wassonasong take her coffee?"

Minh smiled at her daughter. "I'll check."

"It's a _girl_?" Connie asked with disbelief. A girl. She watched as Kahn and Ted's faces fell. Mrs. Wassonasong quietly shook her head in the corner while Minh did her best to comfort her.

The ultrasound technician looked around the room confusedly. "You must've put a lot of hope on having a boy. Listen, I know in China it might be okay for you to abandon your baby girls on hills or whatever you people do, but this is _America_. Please don't break our laws." She gave everyone a curt smile and left the room momentarily.

"We're Laotian!" Connie called after the woman.

"The nerve of that woman," Kahn spat. He was ready to follow her and give her a piece of his mind, but Ted Wassonasong held up his hands.

"Do not worry Kahn," he said. "I'll have a lawyer look over this later. Right now I think I should call my son and tell him the news." Chane was off on another business trip, so Connie's parents and her in-laws had joined her for her ultrasound instead. The ultrasound technician came back into the room and handed Connie a tissue. Connie wiped the ultrasound gel off of her stomach, refusing to look at the room of disappointed faces. She couldn't even have the right type of baby! Everyone cleared from the room as Connie got up to get dressed.

"Bobby?" Connie was sitting in her living room, trying to call Bobby. Minh had offered to stay the night to comfort her daughter about the "bad news," but Connie told her that there was no need, and that Chane would be home within the day. Kahn, Minh, and the Wassonasongs had already taken their flight home. "Bobby, it's Connie."

"Connie! How are you?" Bobby asked excitedly. "I would come over, but I'm not coming to your area for several months. I'm in California right now."

"That's not why I called Bobby. Are you about to do a show right now?" Connie asked, already becoming exasperated with the situation, and already regretting calling Bobby.

"No, not for another two days. What's wrong?"

"I'm pregnant," Connie said abruptly. She waited for Bobby to say something, but there was no response from the other end of the phone line. "I don't know if it's yours- yet. I just wanted to let you know."

"Uh, d-do, you need any help or anything?" Bobby asked, his voice sounding a bit shaky.

"No, Bobby. I'm married and my husband has a good job. This baby's probably not even yours."

"How far along are you anyway?"

"Five months?"

"_Five months?_" Bobby asked in disbelief. "You waited _five_ months to tell me about this?"

"You're lucky I'm even calling you at all, Bobby Hill!" Connie snapped. She was about to tell Bobby that she didn't want him to come over when he was on tour in her state when she heard the door open. Chane walked through the door looking surprisingly happy. "Crap!" Connie said under her breath. She quickly hung up on Bobby and greeted her husband. "Hey Chane, I have dinner ready. I'm sorry you had to fly all the way to Houston for the weekend-" Chane quickly approached his wife and held her in a tight hug. The two stood in silence, Connie waiting for Chane to say something. Chane finally let go and kissed his wife.

"Connie, I've got a _huge_ bonus coming in! If things work the way I think they will, we'd be able to afford twins!"

"Really?" Connie asked, laughing nervously.

"Yes, really." Chane placed his hands on Connie's shoulders and looked her square in the eyes. "Connie, we're going to be just fine.

The sun hung low in the Arlen sky. Connie breathed in the humid Texas air as she approached her parents' house. Arlen hadn't changed that much since Connie was a kid. There was a bit of a shift in the population: several homeless people now occupied public areas. Connie distinctly remembered one man sitting next to an abandoned building where Sugarfoot's used to be. After Mr. Strickland died of a much anticipated heart attack, the business was never the same and eventually went bankrupt. Connie had been shopping while the rest of the family, Chane included, helped to prepare her parents' house for a baby shower that was being held for Connie. During her walk she stopped by the abandoned building. Looking into its empty windows Connie thought of all the people who used to crowd into the restaurant on Saturday nights. Kahn and Mr. Wassonasong had visited once to impress some businessmen from New York with its "Texas charm," but it ended in embarrassment, and Kahn never took his family back again. When Connie saw the man, sitting with his knees tucked under his chin and his head downward, she stepped back in surprise. He was obviously homeless: his long black hair reached down to his back and was hopelessly tangled. Feeling a bit generous, possibly because she was trying to atone for her infidelity, Connie left a five dollar bill on top of the presumably slumbering man's tattered boots and quickly skittered away. She looked back for just a second and saw a pair of dark brown eyes staring straight at her. Connie quickly turned back around and headed back to her parents' house, the feeling of the eyes' presence lingering until she finally reached Rainy Street.

Connie looked to the left and saw the alley looking lonely and abandoned. Obviously Mr. Gribble was too sick to stand outside, or maybe just too bitter. Connie remembered too well what had happened the night Mr. Gribble found out Nancy had cheated on him. She shuddered slightly and entered her childhood home. Minh and Kahn were throwing Connie a baby shower. The only attending members were the Wassonasongs and the Connie's parents. Connie had asked beforehand if she was allowed to invite friends to the party, but the Wassonasongs insisted that it be a "private" affair.

Connie had received the standard baby gifts: bottle, clothes, toys, spoons, hats, an entire crib from the Wassonasongs, and much more. All the gifts were gender-neutral, as if the family didn't want to acknowledge that the baby was a girl. After the shower, the Wassonasongs headed back to their home. Connie and Chane had rented a hotel for their stay in Arlen, but Connie, with the permission of her parents, decided that she wanted to stay the night in her old room for the night. She and Chane would be leaving in two days, and she just wanted to be home, even if it wasn't the same anymore. After Chane and the Wassonasongs left and Kahn and Minh had gone to bed, Connie just stood in the alley, looking up and down the lonely street, hoping for some sign of life. She shuddered when she saw Mr. Dauterive's rotting house, condemned and untouched since the day he died. No one had thought of his absence in the community as unusual until he'd missed one of Mr. Hill's barbeque parties. He was found three days after his death. He'd choked on a chicken wing while watching TV alone in his house. Connie shook the dark thoughts out of her head and tried to look for constellations. She was just about to find Andromeda when she heard someone approaching her.

Connie stiffened when she saw the figure of the man she had seen earlier that day at Sugarfoot's. His matted hair stayed firmly by his sides as he made his way to Connie, too frozen in fear to react to the danger that she was bound to face. The man's deep brown eyes were almost hypnotizing, but further instilled fear into Connie when she realized they were bloodshot. His sun-kissed skin seemed all too familiar to her...

"Joseph?" Connie breathed quietly, almost wishing her question hadn't been heard. The man stopped mid-walk. A low, grisly, disturbing laugh came from seemingly deep inside the bowels of the very man. Connie could feel her knees begin to shake.

"Connie Souphanousinphone," the man- Joseph replied, his worlds slurring as he stumbled over Connie's maiden name.

"Joseph! Connie said, shocked. "W-what happened to you?"

"What happened to _you_?" Joseph asked in a child-like manner, his drunken personality taking over all other sense of judgment. "You're knocked up and living with your parents!" Joseph laughed so loudly it shook Connie to her very core. What a deep voice. "The _great Connie Souphanousinphone_ is now officially a _hillbilly_." Using her father's words against her. Clever.

"Actually, Joseph, it's Connie _Wassonasong_ now," Connie said quite smugly, her courage reinforced by her desire to save face. It was immediately destroyed when she saw a bitter scowl engrave itself on Joseph's face. He stepped even closer to her, he a good two feet taller than her, his shadow completely covering Connie.

"Well isn't that just _fuckin' wonderful?_" Joseph said sarcastically. "I guess everything always works out for the little Laotian girl down the street." Where was all this bitterness coming from? "Everything works out for everyone but the neighborhood _bastard._ Everyone knew, and they kept it to themselves. Dale might've been okay with it, but he still treated my mom like _shit_, and I couldn't live with them when she decided to stay with him." Joseph paused for a second and looked bitterly at the Gribble household. "I thought once I reached college things would be okay. I was playing football for a great college and I could've become something even greater."

"What stopped you?" Connie asked meekly, her voice shaking. For some reason Joseph vaguely reminded her of Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. That would supposedly make her Catherine: dying, pregnant and in a relationship based on convenience. Only she wasn't really dying. Or in love with Joseph.

"Kate," Joseph spat, his tone even more acrid than before.

"Kate?"

"Bill was dating that woman, Charlene, the one with the kids... most importantly the daughter…Kate."

"What about her?"

Joseph looked angrily at the ground, almost too ashamed to speak. "When I was a freshman in college, we met up at some bar or something and started to catch up. I guess we both got drunk and..." Joseph turned away from Connie, seeming to look into an area so distant that only he could see it using some sort of force. "She got pregnant. At first, I freaked out, but then I was okay with it. We decided to keep the baby and still saw each other, but to me something always felt...wrong. Even still, I told her about what had happened with me and- Dale- and she was really sympathetic. Then she asked me who my father was. That changed everything."

"Why?" Connie asked, her curiosity overflowing.

"She's my sister- my half-sister. Her mom told her that John Redcorn was her dad when she turned 18 and she eventually got over the shock. When I told her the truth about my- John Redcorn, she screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed. She started to cry and told me why. The next day she got an abortion. We haven't talked to each other since then. I'm a bastard and my kid was going to be some fuckin' inbred _freak_! Everything I do ends in failure...my whole life is worthless..." Joseph moaned drunkenly. "Worthless..."

"Joseph..." Connie's eyes were beginning to fill with tears. "It's not your fault. You-"

Joseph turned rather abruptly, leaning downward so that he and Connie were at eye-level. The smell of straight vodka surrounded Connie, nauseating her.

"Connie..." he whispered maliciously, "mistakes _need to be taken care of_." He placed a heavy hand on Connie's stomach and stared at her straight in the eyes, never breaking contact for a second. "There's no room in this world for bastards." A wave of fear spread through Connie so fast that she had to keep herself from falling over. _Did he know_? Connie stood, stunned. Joseph began to walk away, swaying from his drunken stupor. Connie watched him walk up the street and disappear, too shocked to ask any more questions. She immediately ran into her house, locked the door, and headed straight to her room. Connie thought she'd be able to sleep off the worry, but the thoughts of her conversation with Joseph kept reoccurring in her mind.

Should she have aborted the baby? That was the first thought. It was out of the question now, but she could've just aborted the baby and Chane would've never known she was pregnant, but would she have been able to go through with it? A baby wasn't a bad thing, but this one could certainly ruin Connie's life and its own. Mrs. Gribble didn't have to worry about that because her husband was dense, but it didn't pay off in the end anyway. Since it was too late for that, even more terrifying and troubling thoughts circled through her head. What would happen if this baby found out who their real father was, or even worse, what would happen if Chane found out that the baby wasn't his? Sure, pigmentation wasn't too much of an issue, but there were other factors that that could reveal the race of the child easily, and Chane wasn't stupid either. Would Connie and the baby be abandoned? What would Connie's parents think of her if they found out that she had cheated on Chane? They would never be able to face the Wassonasongs again. Connie would never be able to face her parents again. Connie sat up in bed. She couldn't sleep, not with all these problems presenting themselves.

Connie turned and looked out her window at- Bobby's window. The room was pitch black and had probably not been visited in years unless Mrs. Hill was cleaning it out of nostalgia, which Connie was sure she did. She knew it was crazy, but Connie soon found herself standing outside her bedroom window, closing it, and opening the window of Bobby's bedroom. Her thoughts quietly subsided as she hoisted herself clumsily into the bedroom, and then closing the window. Again, Connie knew it was crazy, but she found herself lying in Bobby's bed, letting the deep indent of the mattress cradle her, and covered herself in the bed's blankets. For the first time since her pregnancy, Connie felt safe and relaxed. She quickly drifted off to sleep.


	4. Decisions, Decisions

_Hey! Sorry I've been gone so long. Senior year was a kick in the pants and I've been doing college prepare-y type things..._

_Remember you guys, each line represents a time break. This chapter begins with the past, and after the line, it's back to the present!_

Connie woke up the next day confused by her surroundings. She stared at the ceiling while she tried to recollect the events of the night before.

"Peggy?" Connie sat up abruptly in the bed as she suddenly remembered where she had been sleeping. There was no time to waste. She quickly got out of Bobby's bed and headed for the window, but was stopped short when to her horror, she heard the bedroom doorknob turn. Panicked, she clumsily retreated into Bobby's nearby closet and hoped that she wouldn't be discovered. She didn't have time to completely close the door, so the room was still partially visible. Mr. Hill poked his head into the room momentarily. Silence. "Peggy, are you in here?" Had Mr. Hill heard Connie? There was a hint of suspicion in his voice as he stood in the doorway. Mr. Hill was being so quiet that Connie had to hold her breath in order to keep from being caught.

"Now what would I be doing in Bobby's room, Hank?" Mrs. Hill's voice sounded from behind her husband. "It is not time for spring cleaning yet."

"I keep telling you we should take this old room and turn it into something useful, Peggy. Like a second den." Mr. Hill closed the door behind him as he left. Connie let out a huge sigh of relief, slunk out of the closet, made up Bobby's bed, thankful that Mr. Hill hadn't seen that it had been slept in, and headed for the window. At that moment, she saw her parents enter her room. Connie let out a terrified squeal and dove awkwardly to the floor while still remaining cautious of her developing child. She poked her head over the windowsill to see what her parents would do when they found out she wasn't in bed. Minh had arrived with a tray- breakfast in bed- and was suddenly alarmed when she didn't see her daughter sleeping soundly. Connie closely watched her parents' mouths. Kahn had remained calm, explaining to Minh that Connie's bed looked unused because Connie probably woke up, made her bed, and then went to meet Chane at the hotel. Minh was obviously doubtful. Crap! What if they tried to call Chane? Connie knew she had to get out of the Hills' house before she was caught. Connie could hear the sound of silverware and plates. Good, they were eating.

Luckily, Bobby's room door didn't creak when it opened, so Connie was able to enter the hallway undiscovered. Before heading for the exit, she made sure to close the bedroom door. Suddenly, someone in the kitchen got out of their seat. Connie felt her heart skip a beat, but was soon relieved to find that Mr. Hill was just getting up to grab a syrup bottle. Connie knew she had to be careful.

"Well why not Hank?" Mrs. Hill asked, trying to win over her husband.

"Because he is _our_ son and this is _his_ hometown. If he wants to see us, he'll come visit _us_!" Connie had made it to the couch. The front door ahead had never looked so inviting. Unfortunately, she was also interested in where this conversation was going.

"I would not mind taking a trip to Los Angeles Hank. Think about it; it might be fun!"

"Are you kidding me, Peggy? California has more hippies, hookers, and liberals than anywhere else in this country! How am I supposed to support my son if it means risking my own sanity?" Silence. Connie crept to the door and slowly pried it open.

"Well I miss him, Hank."

Connie had no time to think of the conversation she'd just heard once she'd remembered why she was standing outside in broad daylight in her mother's borrowed nightgown. She walked back to her house and tried to open the door, but it was locked. Resentfully, Connie rang the doorbell and waited for her parents to respond. The door swung open, revealing both Khan and Minh.

"Kahn Junior!" cried Kahn, throwing his hands in the air. "Where were you?"

"I...went for a walk."

"In your nightgown?" Minh asked suspiciously. "How long were you gone?"

"About... an hour." Connie entered her parents' house as they stepped aside to let her in.

"Your ankles must be aching!" Minh exclaimed.

"No, I'm fine."

Kahn led his daughter to her long-awaited breakfast while Minh carefully inspected her daughter.

"Well that's good Kahn Junior," Minh said, joining her daughter at the table. "Just remember: if you're ever in trouble give us a call."

* * *

><p>Connie stared at Bobby as he muttered a few lines of his next comedy act to himself. He was really concentrating. Maybe Connie had underestimated him. It was just that Bobby was such a clown when they were in school that she never thought he'd turn it into a profession. As Bobby reached for another cigarette, Connie drew her hand forward and removed the pack from his hand. "Bobby," she said cautiously, "you're going to stink up my house."<p>

"Sorry," Bobby grumbled, picking cigarettes off of the coffee table. "I'm just under a lot of stress."

"Well, I'm under a lot of stress too, but you don't see me smoking or drinking do you?" Connie snapped. She let out a frustrated groan and rubbed her back. "If you want to smoke, go do it in the backyard- but you'll have to take the cigarette butts with you when you're done," she added weakly.

"Something wrong with your back?" Bobby asked.

Connie nodded. "I'm fine, just pregnant."

Bobby stared down at Connie momentarily, then at the window revealing Connie and Chane's backyard. He sighed and placed his cigarette pack back into his back pocket. "I could try to give you a back massage or something." Shy. For the first time in a _very_ long time, Bobby sounded shy around Connie. Connie blinked before slightly nodding her head. "Can you lie on your stomach?" Bobby asked, already knowing the answer.

"I wish," Connie replied.

"Here," Bobby offered. He led Connie to a rather large, soft footrest and motioned for Connie to sit on it. Once she had, Bobby placed his hands gingerly on Connie's shoulders and began to massage her shoulders. Whenever Chane tried to massage Connie he would always beat her back, attempting to copy the masseuses he'd seen on television. His massages always hurt and usually caused the two to fight. Bobby was being so gentle with Connie she wanted to urge him to press harder onto her back. Eventually, to Connie's dismay, the massage ended. Bobby helped Connie up and sat her back down onto the couch where he joined her.

"Thanks Bobby," Connie sighed.

"It's nothing," Bobby said. "Hey Connie?" he asked, hesitation in his voice."

"Hm?" Connie replied.

"I know you don't want me to ask, but I _have_ to know: how are you gonna raise this baby anyway? I mean, is she going to private school? Will she learn Laotian? I know Chane's parents converted to Christianity for professional reasons, but what about you? I mean, my dad always made sure I'd stay true to God, but that doesn't mean I think that other religions are fake."

Connie looked down at the horizontal stripes on her over-sized yellow and white PJs. "I don't know Bobby. I haven't made any plans."

* * *

><p>"Bobby? It's Connie again. Sorry for hanging up on you last time, but Chane walked in." Connie and Chane had arrived home from Alren two hours before she'd made the call.<p>

"Connie," Bobby said hurriedly, "When's Chane's next business trip?"

"Next Wednesday, but why?"

"I need to see you! I'm off for a while so I thought I might as well stop by. I mean, we have so much to talk about and-"

"Bobby!" Connie interrupted, "we have nothing to talk about! This baby is most likely Chane's, and I don't need you scaring me over things I needn't be scared about!"

"There's still the possibility that it isn't," Bobby added. "And if it isn't, we need to know what to do." Connie heard the front door open. Panicked, she once again hung up on Bobby.

Connie was woken from her midday nap by the ringing of the doorbell. Groggily, she woke and walked to the door, hoping that a murderer was on the other side. Instead, she was greeted by Bobby, looking at her intensely. _If only he were here to finish the job_ Connie thought morbidly. She looked bitterly up at her occasional lover but moved out of the doorway and let him enter her house. The two walked to the living room. Connie lowered herself gingerly onto the sofa while Bobby decided to lean against the couch.

"Alright Bobby," Connie began, matter-of-factly, "What exactly is it that you plan to do if this _is_ your baby?" I'm married to Chane and I'm not going to let you sneak around here like this- what kind of way is that to raise a child?"

Bobby paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Connie, if that's my child, you're not going to be married for much longer." Connie gasped as she felt her heart skip a beat. Bobby raised his eyebrows in apologetic surprise. "I just mean that Chane's a smart guy; he's no Mr. Gribble. Eventually he'd find out. I know he has no idea we keep in touch and you barely know any people here, but he's going to expect you were unfaithful with someone." Connie had turned her head away from Bobby. He was being so realistic that it scared her. "So anyway, worst case scenario, we need to come up with a backup plan."

"Don't worry about it, Bobby," Connie sighed. "Maybe my parents will feel so sorry for me that they'll look past the shame I brought them and let me live with them for a while."

"Well," Bobby said nervously, "I thought maybe I could help out. I know I tour a lot, but you and the baby could live in my house and when I'm not touring I could...be….around." Connie stared up at Bobby in disbelief.

"Bobby, that's sweet. But why should we live together? I think it's just easier if I stay here in Texas and you can come and visit whenever you have free time."

"So if you and Chane were to split you wouldn't want to maybe get remarried?" Was this a proposal? Connie shivered. Bobby was a sweet man, but he wasn't exactly marriage material. How would she explain him to her parents? How could she admit that the baby was Bobby's and that she'd been cheating on Chane since almost the beginning of their relationship? There was no way. Besides, Connie had tried her hardest to cut off any emotional ties with Bobby and she wasn't about to let that fall apart too.

"No Bobby, I don't think I'd want to deal with that again." Bobby quickly caught on to the double-meaning of Connie's statement. It was a no then.

Bobby stood momentarily, gazing awkwardly around the room. He finally gave up trying to convince Connie and sat himself down onto the sofa. "Alright, well what are you going to name the baby?"

"Well, for one thing it's a girl-"

"A _girl_?" Bobby sat up immediately. "That's- that's unexpected. I don't know of any Hill men who haven't had well, sons."

"Then maybe it's not yours," Connie said a little too excitedly. She covered her mouth with her hand but Bobby nodded, completely understanding the reason why she'd be so excited.

"I've always been a bit odd in my dad's eyes," Bobby added, bringing Connie and her hopes back down to earth. "But hopefully she is Chane's; I don't know if I can be a good father to a girl." Bobby leaned forward abruptly. "Not that I wouldn't try."

"Let's just hope for whatever's best."

* * *

><p>Bobby and Connie silently watched the four o' clock news together. Connie found herself so fatigued that she had to lean on Bobby's shoulder to keep her head from bobbing as she fell asleep. She had no problem admitting to herself that she felt comfortable. Chane never let her lean on his shoulder. He never called her in the middle of the day to see how she was doing, but Bobby always did, even before she was pregnant. But there was nothing stable about being with Bobby. Her parents would be ashamed of her infidelity, the Wassonasongs would never speak to any of her relatives again, and Chane, Chane would be heartbroken. Though he could be cold and distant at times, Chane did love Connie in some way, shape or form. Honestly Connie thought he was just as frustrated with his situation. Maybe he would have gladly let Connie work but was afraid of insulting his parents by not respecting their morals. Maybe he wanted to display his affections more openly but was afraid he needed to be Connie's "rock." Who knew why Chane did the things he did? Connie did love him, but it was difficult to do so. She felt useless despite the fact that she had accumulated so much knowledge throughout her life, and she also felt as if she gave Chane all her love and received little to none in return. With Bobby, it was like she couldn't get enough despite the fact that she never really showed emotional love towards Bobby. Physically, she tried to please him in every way possible, but she groaned or rolled her eyes if Bobby stayed over five minutes longer than she wanted him to. She knew she had emotional feelings for him, but she didn't want them to resurface. She wanted to take up Bobby's offer, but it was too much of a risk. She wanted to be in a loving home, but she didn't want to destroy Chane or her reputation to achieve it. If she went to live with her parents until she got back on her feet, she wouldn't have to tell them that the baby was Bobby's, but if she moved in with him it would be quite obvious. Every now and then she would feel her emotions for Bobby start to boil over, but she knew better than to dwell on what could have been. The worry plagued Connie to the point that she was now wide awake, her head still resting on Bobby's shoulder. Slowly Connie raised her arms and wrapped them around Bobby's arm, tears filling her eyes.<p>

Connie had been crying earlier. At first Bobby was alarmed, but he realized there was nothing he could do. What Connie was dealing with was a matter of pride. Any other girl that Bobby knew would throw caution to the wind and run off with him, he was sure, if she found herself in the same situation. What was better than running off with the one that you loved? But for Connie, her obsession with her image was not made up of mere vanity: Since the beginning, Connie, or at least in her mind, had been a mistake. She was supposed to be a boy. Though she excelled in most everything she applied herself to, her lack of a Y chromosome kept her dad, and to a lesser extent her mom, from being truly satisfied. Bobby had complemented Connie's beauty more times than he could count, had tried to increase her self-esteem, but nothing worked. Bobby wasn't expecting a complete turnaround in Connie's attitude, and she had in fact been more content with her life before she got pregnant. Bobby couldn't help but feel guilty about what had happened, but at the same time he felt as if Connie wasn't going to accept any of the help he offered anyway.

All Bobby knew was that he was worried. He was worried about what would happen to Connie once the baby arrived, whether Connie would let him be a part of this child's life if for some reason Chane never discovered the truth, and of course, he was worried about having a daughter in general. And what about his parents? His dad would disapprove of their illegitimate child, or at least constantly show his disappointment towards Bobby's irresponsibility. Bobby wanted to get up and smoke another cigarette but Connie had fallen asleep on him and the last thing he wanted to do was wake her up, so instead he sat and watched the sunrise from the comfort of the Wassonasongs' couch.


	5. Just Great

/

_Wow, do I feel like a jerk! It's been so long. Sure, I could blame it college stuff, but I think video games and free weekends are to blame. Forgive me readers! It's in my blood. My lack-of-typing blood…SO- on with the story, right? I had actually intended for the last chapter to be well, the last chapter, but I'm sure that would leave most people hating me, so I'm going to keep at it, especially since I've had time to think about how to make the story better and longer. Let's hope I do well!_

The passing months since Bobby's last visit had been rather uneventful. Since Connie's vulnerable night with Bobby there hadn't been any more visits. Bobby had gone back to California and started working on new material as soon as he arrived, or at least, that's what he had told Connie the last time he called, months ago. In the back of her mind Connie couldn't help but think he was pretending to be busy just so he could keep away from Connie and her fetal problems. She couldn't blame him, really. Connie had all but pushed Bobby out of the door, figuratively, and it wasn't like he was ready to be a father anyway. Still, she had to admit that she felt a pang of worry when she thought of the idea of Bobby never coming back or getting involved. Had she been fair? How would Bobby have acted if she hadn't tried so hard to keep him away? Every now and then Connie caught herself wondering what would have happened if she had accepted Bobby's proposal.

/

Luckily for Connie, plenty of work had to be done for the baby's arrival, a nice distraction. In the last few months of Connie's pregnancy Chane had been spending a lot more time with her. He even considered taking temporary leave from his job after the baby arrived but he later decided that it would make it seem as if he didn't care about his job. Even still, Connie really appreciated the thought. They spent their weekends preparing the baby's room: Chane set up the furniture while Connie folded the baby clothes and set up decorations. They had a few arguments, one being about the color scheme of the room.

"We're having a girl," Chane had said. "A girl's room needs to be pink."

"Pink?" Connie questions, her neck recoiling in obvious distaste. "I'm a girl and I don't like pink. What about green?" She walked over to the empty crib at the center of the room and bent over its plastic frame. "See?" she asked, pointing. "The crib's white, so we could use a pastel green color. It would look really cute." She paused. "That color would look great on the wall," she declared, her voice trailing as she scanned the room.

Chane stood in the doorway, silently staring at his wife. He gazed out of the bedroom window for a moment. Connie could see his jaw tightening. "She's a girl," Chane repeated. "The room's going to be pink. We're not trying to raise a lesbian."

Connie froze. "What does the color of her room have to do with that, Chane?" she asked, standing up straight and locking eyes with her husband. "My parents treated me like a boy for the majority of my childhood and I'm not a lesbian." Chane looked unmoved. "Besides," Connie began, hesitantly, "why would that be a problem?"

The flash of panic in Chane's eyes revealed itself easily. "Don't even joke about that," Chane ordered. His voice was quite soft, surprisingly, but Connie could detect a small amount of rage in his speech. "She's going to grow up to be a mother and a successful house maker, just like our mothers and you." Connie cringed.

"What about college?" Connie asked, this time sternly.

"Maybe," Chane admitted. "My dad said that college is the perfect place for a woman to find a husband."

"Chane," Connie interjected, "what do you think I went to college for?"

Connie swore she saw Chane resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "It's still important for women to be intelligent, Connie," he shot back. "If you had never married you'd have your education to fall back on, but one of the benefits of being a straight woman," Chane explained, "is that you have a husband to depend on for all your needs. Besides, if something happens to me you can get a good job until you remarry." Connie barely listened. She kept thinking of Mrs. Hill. Connie knew for a fact that she had received more of an education than Mrs. Hill, and yet there she stood, jobless, while Mrs. Hill still refused to leave the working world in her advanced age. There was nothing wrong with staying at home; most of the women in Connie's old neighborhood did, but that wasn't what Connie wanted to do. She wondered what separated her from the Nancy Gribbles and Peggy Hills of the world. Where was her willpower? Her drive?

"I'll buy the paint tomorrow," Chane finished. "Once I start painting in here make sure you don't breathe in any of the fumes."

"Okay," Connie said, dimly. She didn't feel like talking anymore. Her ankles were swollen and her back ached. "I'm going to go take a nap." She started out the door but Chane quickly grabbed her arm before she could enter the hallway.

"Connie." Connie froze and looked up at Chane. His face was contorted into a look of concern then slowly softened as he found his words. "We should both consider ourselves lucky to live such stable lives." He leaned forward and kissed Connie on the forehead. Bobby liked to do the same, sometimes keeping his lips stuck to Connie's skin, forcing her to laugh and push him off. "Let's not hope for anything that could ruin that." Chane let go of Connie and sauntered toward the crib. He'd been complaining for hours that it looked unsafe. Connie retreated down the stairs and into the master bedroom. It was too late to take a nap. Connie had to start on dinner in the next two hours and sleeping that late in the day only kept her up late at night, not that she had been sleeping soundly anyway. Connie laid herself flat on the bed but sat herself up when she spied her cellphone on the nightstand…Bobby. She swiftly dialed his number.

The phone picked up after two rings. "Connie? Did you have the baby?"

"No Bobby," Connie assured him. "That's not for another month.

"What going on?" Connie thought she heard a woman's laughter in the background.

"What're you up to?" she asked, hoping Bobby wouldn't catch on to her suspicion.

"Nothing much," Bobby replied. Connie could practically feel his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "Just practicing some jokes on a few friends...you know I'm not in Texas, right?"

"I know!" Connie could feel her face reddening. "I just wanted to ask a question."

"Hold on a second." Connie heard the voices around Bobby fade. He must have moved to another room. "Shoot."

"Well, we've finally come up with a name for the baby," Connie sighed "Kim. Maybe we'll call her Kimmy." Hopefully Chane would stay upstairs until dinner. "Do you like it?"

"It's nice."

Connie could feel a lump forming in her throat. "If you don't like it we can change it."

"Connie..." the phone shifted in Bobby's hand. "Even though she's my daughter you and Chane are the ones who will be making her life choices." Bobby's voice sounded hollow.

"Would you love her no matter what?" Connie cleared her throat to keep her voice from breaking.

"What do you mean?"

"If she were a lesbian or wanted to work full-time what would you think?" she blurted.

"...Connie, I've gone against almost every tradition my dad's ever wanted me to follow. I'll be surprised if Kimmy does all the things you or me or Chane expects."

Connie shut her eyes tightly. "Okay," she gasped. "Just checking. I have to go." She hung up and quickly clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying. Her phone vibrated violently in her hand, jerking her back to reality. Bobby had sent her a text: Next time I'm in town, after she's born, we should have her christened...for me.

Connie read the lines several times, nodded contemplatively and deleted the text. Things were finally beginning to sink in. Being with Chane was about much more than Connie's happiness: their daughter would be subject to the same expectations that Connie had been made to live by. And what if they had a son some time later? Would all the attention, the love, the investments in future endeavors go to him? Sure, Connie could always fight for her daughter's right to live however she wanted, but that would most likely lead to marital instability which would lead to Kahn losing the acquaintanceship with Ted Wassonasong that he had worked so hard to achieve. Still, Connie's life was her own and she knew it. She didn't have to do any of the things that her parents wanted her to do, but thinking about the sacrifices and hard work that her parents had to put up with to raise a successful child...

/

"It's probably just a Braxton Hicks" Connie concluded through heavy breaths. "You know, like in the book? My body's just practicing for labor." Cringe. "This has been happening for about two weeks now." Connie threw her head back in response to the agonizing spasms that tore through her body. She knew it was really time but she wasn't ready. Not in the least bit.

"There's no way, Connie!" Chane ran through the house, scrambling to find the hospital bag that they had packed a month beforehand. "The doctor said last week that you'd be due any day." He stood next to the front door for a moment, his hands twitching, looking for something to grab despite the fact that all that they needed was already draped over his shoulders and strapped onto his chest.

"Take a deep breath," Connie instructed. Chane obeyed, inhaling shakily and letting out a loud, obviously unnerved breath.

"Alright," Chane mumbled to himself, "you're going to be a father. Life as you know it will change, change is good..." he bowed his head momentarily. Connie couldn't tell if he was still talking to himself or maybe even...praying? Either way, she'd never seen Chane like this before. In that moment he actually seemed both scared and vulnerable. That only made Connie feel worse. There stood her husband, convinced that he was about to become a father with a faithful wife who loved him when most of his beliefs were based on lies. Connie did love him, or at least, she had learned to, but she had complete confidence in the fact that they were incompatible as a pair and always would be.

"Chane!" Connie screamed. "We have to go now." She scrambled for the front door and yanked it open. The car hadn't been parked in the garage since Connie's ninth month. Instead Chane insisted that it be parked at the edge of the driveway, allowing its bumper to hang dangerously near the road.

"See?" Chane said, smirking. "I knew it was a good idea."

"Okay, I admit it." Connie could hear the laughter in her voice but she was unsure of where it was coming from. Sure, part of it was due to nervousness, but it just seemed funny to her that the behavior she'd dismissed as overzealous just showed how eager Chane had been to get everything right. The amusement only lasted for a second when she realized that she was most likely walking into the end of her marriage, respect from her parents...the possibility of her daughter being trapped in the same system that she had been...walking out of a relationship that was honestly going nowhere. But the shame and guilt associated with Chane finding out the truth would be enough to kill her.

The ride to the hospital was spent in silence with Connie's expressions of pain and Chane's calming words being the only thing to break the silence. Once the two arrived at the hospital they were separated. A nurse wheeled Connie into a delivery room while Chane had to stay back and fill out several insurance forms. Another nurse helped Connie into a hospital gown and then onto the delivery bed. "Just lie down here mom," she said, grinning. "Doctor Thamavong will be here in a minute. Connie felt her blood freeze. She'd totally forgotten about Dr. Thamavong, the doctor that Ted Wassonasong had hand-picked to deliver their baby. According to Chane, Greg Thamavong had been given many connections through Mr. Wassonasong, delivering babies for a majority of the hospital's Laotian patients, as well as others, of course. Dr. Thamavong had probably seen Laotian babies of all different lineages: all Laotian, half Vietnamese, half black, half white, anything, right? Would he be able to tell that Kimmy wasn't all Laotian?

"Thanks," was all she could bother to say.

Chane ran into the room. "Okay Connie, I called my parents and your parents and they'll be on their way. Don't get mad, but they don't think they'll get here on time for the delivery. Apparently they all went on a trip together to Florida." Connie's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't worry, they've already left the hotel and everything. They're trying as hard as they can to make it on time."

Six hours into labor Connie actually appreciated that her family member weren't with her. She'd already attempted to strangle Chane several times and had uttered curse words that she'd never used before. Dr. Thamavong seemed unmoved, thankfully. Maybe Connie was actually being polite for a woman in labor. Originally Connie wanted to use an epidural, but she knew she had to have her wits about her after the delivery. The last thing she wanted was to deliriously confess Kim's real origin. Still, if Connie was going to keep anyone from finding anything out she would have to stay awake after giving birth and the prospect of that actually happening became even less realistic with every passing minute. Not only was Connie in immense pain, but she was already completely exhausted.

"I can see the head!" Dr. Thamavong alerted Connie excitedly. Chane, standing next to Connie, craned his neck momentarily before deciding it a better idea to wait.

"Already?" Connie's face twisted into a worried smile. She wanted so badly to meet her daughter and for the labor pains to end, but at that moment she almost wished to be one of the women she read about, the ones who had to endure twelve hours or more of labor. She obliged when the doctor commanded her to continue pushing and before she knew it her ears were deafened by the sound of her daughter's cries. She could see everyone's lips moving but she couldn't and didn't want to focus on what they had to say. She wanted her baby. Her eyes frantically searched the room. She wanted to sit herself up but she knew it was impossible. "Is she okay?" That was all she could ask. She was sure the nurse had answered her question but even still she could only hear her daughter. She had barely heard herself ask the question. Finally, Connie saw the doctor emerging, Kim in tow and wrapped tightly in a nice pink blanket. When had the umbilical cord been cut? How long had Connie been lying there in a daze? She watched as Dr. Thamavong handed Kim to Chane. Fine. Men were often handed the babies so that moms could recuperate...but Connie wanted her daughter. Kim had stopped crying. Connie could hear everything around her at this point, but all she could see was her daughter. Chane eventually handed Kim over.

She was beautiful. Connie could actually feel herself tearing up at the sight of her own daughter. Connie almost felt sick with guilt when she remembered all the resentment she had felt towards the small creature in her arms, how for a while she wished she would have never been conceived. Chane kissed Connie softly on the cheek. Connie looked at him momentarily, then back at Kim, but she looked quickly back at Chane when she realized that he had been crying too.

About two hours after the delivery both Connie and Chane's parents were at the hospital ogling the newest member of the family. Kim had been fed and cuddled to death, and Connie just wanted to go home. The sight was extremely bittersweet. On one hand, Chane was absolutely glowing. He looked at Connie differently. He greeted his parents and the Souphanousinphones more warmly than ever, even going so far as hugging Kahn. Having a child had already changed him. On the other hand, however was the truth of it all. Connie sat silently with Kim in her arms and watched everyone's excited chatter as both families were preparing to leave. She remained the only one knowing what was really going on. Chane may have been walking on air at the moment, but what about a month from now? A new baby would eventually become a lifelong responsibility that wouldn't always bring such happiness. And of course, what about the fact that Kim would eventually grow to look like her real father? Maybe Connie was just seeing things, but she was almost sure that Kim had Bobby's nose. Eventually everything would go crashing around Connie and consequently Kim's heads, but the question was when? All Connie knew was that she would be released from the hospital in the morning. The only thing she could do at the moment was encourage herself to make it through day one.

Hey everyone! Next chapter will be the last chapter! I'm not sure how long it will be, but I think it will wrap everything up nice and tight...or maybe loosely. I don't want to make any promises! Haha! Anyway, important notice: I was thinking of making another KOTH story- kind of a prequel to this one- about Joseph's story. I have some ideas about it, though I'm afraid it's going to come off as a bit...dramatic (because this one isn't, right?). I'm going to get started on the first chapter after I'm done with this story. I'm not saying you have to read it, but if you're interested...maybe...? Thanks for the support by the way! You guys are amazing.

/

_Wow, do I feel like a jerk! It's been so long. Sure, I could blame it college stuff, but I think video games and free weekends are to blame. Forgive me readers! It's in my blood. My lack-of-typing blood…SO- on with the story, right? I had actually intended for the last chapter to be well, the _last_ chapter, but I'm sure that would leave most people hating me, so I'm going to keep at it, especially since I've had time to think about how to make the story better and longer. Let's hope I do well! Thanks_

The passing months since Bobby's last visit had been rather uneventful. Since Connie's vulnerable night with Bobby there hadn't been any more visits. Bobby had gone back to California and started working on new material as soon as he arrived, or at least, that's what he had told Connie the last time he called, months ago. In the back of her mind Connie couldn't help but think he was pretending to be busy just so he could keep away from Connie and her fetal problems. She couldn't blame him, really. Connie had all but pushed Bobby out of the door, figuratively, and it wasn't like he was ready to be a father anyway. Still, she had to admit that she felt a pang of worry when she thought of the idea of Bobby never coming back or getting involved. Had she been fair? How would Bobby have acted if she hadn't tried so hard to keep him away? Every now and then Connie caught herself wondering what would have happened if she had accepted Bobby's proposal.

/

Luckily for Connie, plenty of work had to be done for the baby's arrival, a nice distraction. In the last few months of Connie's pregnancy Chane had been spending a lot more time with her. He even considered taking temporary leave from his job after the baby arrived but he later decided that it would make it seem as if he didn't care about his job. Even still, Connie really appreciated the thought. They spent their weekends preparing the baby's room: Chane set up the furniture while Connie folded the baby clothes and set up decorations. They had a few arguments, one being about the color scheme of the room.

"We're having a girl," Chane had said. "A girl's room needs to be pink."

"Pink?" Connie questions, her neck recoiling in obvious distaste. "I'm a girl and I don't like pink. What about green?" She walked over to the empty crib at the center of the room and bent over its plastic frame. "See?" she asked, pointing. "The crib's white, so we could use a pastel green color. It would look really cute." She paused. "That color would look great on the wall," she declared, her voice trailing as she scanned the room.

Chane stood in the doorway, silently staring at his wife. He gazed out of the bedroom window for a moment. Connie could see his jaw tightening. "She's a girl," Chane repeated. "The room's going to be pink. We're not trying to raise a lesbian."

Connie froze. "What does the color of her room have to do with that, Chane?" she asked, standing up straight and locking eyes with her husband. "My parents treated me like a boy for the majority of my childhood and I'm not a lesbian." Chane looked unmoved. "Besides," Connie began, hesitantly, "why would that be a problem?"

The flash of panic in Chane's eyes revealed itself easily. "Don't even joke about that," Chane ordered. His voice was quite soft, surprisingly, but Connie could detect a small amount of rage in his speech. "She's going to grow up to be a mother and a successful house maker, just like our mothers and you." Connie cringed.

"What about college?" Connie asked, this time sternly.

"Maybe," Chane admitted. "My dad said that college is the perfect place for a woman to find a husband."

"Chane," Connie interjected, "what do you think _I_ went to college for?"

Connie swore she saw Chane resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "It's still important for women to be intelligent, Connie," he shot back. "If you had never married you'd have your education to fall back on, but one of the benefits of being a _straight_ woman," Chane explained, "is that you have a husband to depend on for all your needs. Besides, if something happens to me you can get a good job until you remarry." Connie barely listened. She kept thinking of Mrs. Hill. Connie knew for a fact that she had received more of an education than Mrs. Hill, and yet there she stood, jobless, while Mrs. Hill still refused to leave the working world in her advanced age. There was nothing wrong with staying at home; most of the women in Connie's old neighborhood did, but that wasn't what Connie wanted to do. She wondered what separated her from the Nancy Gribbles and Peggy Hills of the world. Where was her willpower? Her drive?

"I'll buy the paint tomorrow," Chane finished. "Once I start painting in here make sure you don't breathe in any of the fumes."

"Okay," Connie said, dimly. She didn't feel like talking anymore. Her ankles were swollen and her back ached. "I'm going to go take a nap." She started out the door but Chane quickly grabbed her arm before she could enter the hallway.

"Connie." Connie froze and looked up at Chane. His face was contorted into a look of concern then slowly softened as he found his words. "We should both consider ourselves lucky to live such stable lives." He leaned forward and kissed Connie on the forehead. Bobby liked to do the same, sometimes keeping his lips stuck to Connie's skin, forcing her to laugh and push him off. "Let's not hope for anything that could ruin that." Chane let go of Connie and sauntered toward the crib. He'd been complaining for hours that it looked unsafe. Connie retreated down the stairs and into the master bedroom. It was too late to take a nap. Connie had to start on dinner in the next two hours and sleeping that late in the day only kept her up late at night, not that she had been sleeping soundly anyway. Connie laid herself flat on the bed but sat herself up when she spied her cellphone on the nightstand…Bobby. She swiftly dialed his number.

The phone picked up after two rings. "Connie? Did you have the baby?"

"No Bobby," Connie assured him. "That's not for another month.

"What going on?" Connie thought she heard a woman's laughter in the background.

"What're you up to?" she asked, hoping Bobby wouldn't catch on to her suspicion.

"Nothing much," Bobby replied. Connie could practically feel his shoulders rise and fall in a shrug. "Just practicing some jokes on a few friends...you know I'm not in Texas, right?"

"I know!" Connie could feel her face reddening. "I just wanted to ask a question."

"Hold on a second." Connie heard the voices around Bobby fade. He must have moved to another room. "Shoot."

"Well, we've finally come up with a name for the baby," Connie sighed "Kim. Maybe we'll call her Kimmy." Hopefully Chane would stay upstairs until dinner. "Do you like it?"

"It's nice."

Connie could feel a lump forming in her throat. "If you don't like it we can change it."

"Connie..." the phone shifted in Bobby's hand. "Even though she's my daughter you and Chane are the ones who will be making her life choices." Bobby's voice sounded hollow.

"Would you love her no matter what?" Connie cleared her throat to keep her voice from breaking.

"What do you mean?"

"If she were a lesbian or wanted to work full-time what would you think?" she blurted.

"...Connie, I've gone against almost every tradition my dad's ever wanted me to follow. I'll be surprised if Kimmy does all the things you or me or Chane expects."

Connie shut her eyes tightly. "Okay," she gasped. "Just checking. I have to go." She hung up and quickly clasped her hand over her mouth to keep from crying. Her phone vibrated violently in her hand, jerking her back to reality. Bobby had sent her a text: _Next time I'm in town, after she's born, we should have her christened...for me_. 

Connie read the lines several times, nodded contemplatively and deleted the text. Things were finally beginning to sink in. Being with Chane was about much more than Connie's happiness: their daughter would be subject to the same expectations that Connie had been made to live by. And what if they had a son some time later? Would all the attention, the love, the investments in future endeavors go to him? Sure, Connie could always fight for her daughter's right to live however she wanted, but that would most likely lead to marital instability which would lead to Kahn losing the acquaintanceship with Ted Wassonasong that he had worked so hard to achieve. Still, Connie's life was her own and she knew it. She didn't _have_ to do any of the things that her parents wanted her to do, but thinking about the sacrifices and hard work that her parents had to put up with to raise a successful child...

/

"It's probably just a Braxton Hicks" Connie concluded through heavy breaths. "You know, like in the book? My body's just practicing for labor." Cringe. "This has been happening for about two weeks now." Connie threw her head back in response to the agonizing spasms that tore through her body. She knew it was really time but she wasn't ready. Not in the least bit.

"There's no way, Connie!" Chane ran through the house, scrambling to find the hospital bag that they had packed a month beforehand. "The doctor said last week that you'd be due any day." He stood next to the front door for a moment, his hands twitching, looking for something to grab despite the fact that all that they needed was already draped over his shoulders and strapped onto his chest.

"Take a deep breath," Connie instructed. Chane obeyed, inhaling shakily and letting out a loud, obviously unnerved breath.

"Alright," Chane mumbled to himself, "you're going to be a father. Life as you know it will change, change is good..." he bowed his head momentarily. Connie couldn't tell if he was still talking to himself or maybe even...praying? Either way, she'd never seen Chane like this before. In that moment he actually seemed both scared and vulnerable. That only made Connie feel worse. There stood her husband, convinced that he was about to become a father with a faithful wife who loved him when most of his beliefs were based on lies. Connie did love him, or at least, she had learned to, but she had complete confidence in the fact that they were incompatible as a pair and always would be.

"Chane!" Connie screamed. "We have to go _now_." She scrambled for the front door and yanked it open. The car hadn't been parked in the garage since Connie's ninth month. Instead Chane insisted that it be parked at the edge of the driveway, allowing its bumper to hang dangerously near the road.

"See?" Chane said, smirking. "I knew it was a good idea."

"Okay, I admit it." Connie could hear the laughter in her voice but she was unsure of where it was coming from. Sure, part of it was due to nervousness, but it just seemed funny to her that the behavior she'd dismissed as overzealous just showed how eager Chane had been to get everything right. The amusement only lasted for a second when she realized that she was most likely walking into the end of her marriage, respect from her parents...the possibility of her daughter being trapped in the same system that she had been...walking out of a relationship that was honestly going nowhere. But the shame and guilt associated with Chane finding out the truth would be enough to kill her.

The ride to the hospital was spent in silence with Connie's expressions of pain and Chane's calming words being the only thing to break the silence. Once the two arrived at the hospital they were separated. A nurse wheeled Connie into a delivery room while Chane had to stay back and fill out several insurance forms. Another nurse helped Connie into a hospital gown and then onto the delivery bed. "Just lie down here _mom_," she said, grinning. "Doctor Thamavong will be here in a minute. Connie felt her blood freeze. She'd totally forgotten about Dr. Thamavong, the doctor that Ted Wassonasong had hand-picked to deliver their baby. According to Chane, Greg Thamavong had been given many connections through Mr. Wassonasong, delivering babies for a majority of the hospital's Laotian patients, as well as others, of course. Dr. Thamavong had probably seen Laotian babies of all different lineages: all Laotian, half Vietnamese, half black, half white, anything, right? Would he be able to tell that Kimmy wasn't all Laotian?

"Thanks," was all she could bother to say.

Chane ran into the room. "Okay Connie, I called my parents and your parents and they'll be on their way. Don't get mad, but they don't think they'll get here on time for the delivery. Apparently they all went on a trip together to Florida." Connie's eyes widened in surprise. "Don't worry, they've already left the hotel and everything. They're trying as hard as they can to make it on time."

Six hours into labor Connie actually appreciated that her family member weren't with her. She'd already attempted to strangle Chane several times and had uttered curse words that she'd never used before. Dr. Thamavong seemed unmoved, thankfully. Maybe Connie was actually being polite for a woman in labor. Originally Connie wanted to use an epidural, but she knew she had to have her wits about her after the delivery. The last thing she wanted was to deliriously confess Kim's real origin. Still, if Connie was going to keep anyone from finding anything out she would have to stay awake after giving birth and the prospect of that actually happening became even less realistic with every passing minute. Not only was Connie in immense pain, but she was already completely exhausted.

"I can see the head!" Dr. Thamavong alerted Connie excitedly. Chane, standing next to Connie, craned his neck momentarily before deciding it a better idea to wait.

"Already?" Connie's face twisted into a worried smile. She wanted so badly to meet her daughter and for the labor pains to end, but at that moment she almost wished to be one of the women she read about, the ones who had to endure twelve hours or more of labor. She obliged when the doctor commanded her to continue pushing and before she knew it her ears were deafened by the sound of her daughter's cries. She could see everyone's lips moving but she couldn't and didn't want to focus on what they had to say. She wanted her baby. Her eyes frantically searched the room. She wanted to sit herself up but she knew it was impossible. "Is she okay?" That was all she could ask. She was sure the nurse had answered her question but even still she could only hear her daughter. She had barely heard herself ask the question. Finally, Connie saw the doctor emerging, Kim in tow and wrapped tightly in a nice pink blanket. When had the umbilical cord been cut? How long had Connie been lying there in a daze? She watched as Dr. Thamavong handed Kim to Chane. Fine. Men were often handed the babies so that moms could recuperate...but Connie wanted her daughter. Kim had stopped crying. Connie could hear everything around her at this point, but all she could _see_ was her daughter. Chane eventually handed Kim over.

She was beautiful. Connie could actually feel herself tearing up at the sight of her own daughter. Connie almost felt sick with guilt when she remembered all the resentment she had felt towards the small creature in her arms, how for a while she wished she would have never been conceived. Chane kissed Connie softly on the cheek. Connie looked at him momentarily, then back at Kim, but she looked quickly back at Chane when she realized that he had been crying too.

About two hours after the delivery both Connie and Chane's parents were at the hospital ogling the newest member of the family. Kim had been fed and cuddled to death, and Connie just wanted to go home. The sight was extremely bittersweet. On one hand, Chane was absolutely glowing. He looked at Connie differently. He greeted his parents and the Souphanousinphones more warmly than ever, even going so far as hugging Kahn. Having a child had already changed him. On the other hand, however was the truth of it all. Connie sat silently with Kim in her arms and watched everyone's excited chatter as both families were preparing to leave. She remained the only one knowing what was really going on. Chane may have been walking on air at the moment, but what about a month from now? A new baby would eventually become a lifelong responsibility that wouldn't always bring such happiness. And of course, what about the fact that Kim would eventually grow to look like her real father? Maybe Connie was just seeing things, but she was almost sure that Kim had Bobby's nose. Eventually everything would go crashing around Connie and consequently Kim's heads, but the question was _when_? All Connie knew was that she would be released from the hospital in the morning. The only thing she could do at the moment was encourage herself to make it through day one.

_Hey everyone! __**Next**__ chapter will be the __**last**__ chapter! I'm not sure how long it will be, but I think it will wrap everything up nice and tight...or maybe loosely. I don't want to make any promises! Haha! Anyway, __**important notice**__: I was thinking of making another KOTH story- kind of a prequel to this one- about Joseph's story. I have some ideas about it, though I'm afraid it's going to come off as a bit...dramatic (because this one isn't, right?). I'm going to get started on the first chapter after I'm done with this story. I'm not saying you have to read it, but if you're interested...maybe...? Thanks for the support by the way! You guys are amazing._


End file.
